Excel Update for Contact Records

DonorSnap continues to separate itself from the competition (even those costing 3-4 times more per year) with its latest improvement to its Excel Import tool. Now you can use the simplicity and speed of Excel to make changes to data within a DonorSnap contact record. Using this method, you can replace the contents of any field that is found on the Contact Tab or User Defined Field Tab.

Although this tool may seem of limited value at first, its real potential lies in combining this tool with our DataMiner Platinum export tool and your imagination. Some simple practical uses of this tool can be seen below.

Update contact records based on mail scrubbing results:

Send your data off to a mailing service
100 of your contacts no longer have any valid address
Create an Excel spreadsheet with the Contact Key, the new Mailing Flags, and Active status.
Import the Excel spreadsheet and update your file in only a few minutes from start to finish.

Track Membership Lapses in your Contact Master

Previously:

You've set up a user defined field Membership Expiration Date
When you received the membership payment, you entered a Donation record and marked the record as a Membership payment.
Then you would go into the User Defined fields and individually update each of the membership expiration dates to the new date.

Now:

Put the donation information into an Excel Spreadsheet
Add the new expiration dates in the same spreadsheet under the correct heading
Use the Excel Import tool to import the new donation information and expiration date at the same time

Automatically update the grade level for returning students

Export the returning students, their grade, and ContactIPK
Using a simple formula in Excel, add 1 to each grade
Import the spreadsheet back into your database

Categorize patron levels for those who purchased tickets to all shows this season

Use DataMiner Platinum to export each contact that purchased a ticket to all of your shows
Import the data back in with an updated user defined field

This tool is a natural extension of our Excel Import tool and works identically. The only difference is that you'll be replacing existing data in your database with revised data. You'd still use the Contact Import feature to add new contacts. You can find the option to Update Contact Information using the administrator login under Maintenance > Excel Import. Watch the Excel Update Video for more information.